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October 12, 2008 |
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01. The Premonition
02. The Flood
03. The Medication
04. The Drowning
05. The Reflection
06. The Prosecution
07. The Fallout
08. The Medusa
09. The Shifter
10. The Cynic
11. The Failure
12. The Stain
13. The Guilt Trip
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THE HAUNTED fans, prepare to be tested. Call it what you will - a test of loyalty, a test of tolerance, a test of open-mindedness - but a test it is. And there will be little to no gray area in play here - either you'll embrace the tunes that make "The Dead Eye" their home, or you'll consider this album to be the biggest let down of the year, and pissed off won't even begin to cover it. Regardless, one thing is for certain: The Peter Dolving version of THE HAUNTED is nothing like the Marco Aro version. That should have been obvious after comparing the self titled first album and "rEVOLVEr" to "The Haunted Made Me Do It" and "One Kill Wonder"; it's a bonafide fact so you might as well get used to it. Aro was a one dimensional vocalist deeply rooted in the Hardcore vein, and the result was a more restrained, straight forward incarnation of the band. Dolving, on the other hand, is an opinionated, outspoken, eclectic musician with considerably more vocal range and a hyperactive imagination; therefore, the shackles have been cast aside and THE HAUNTED have chosen a less traveled path this time around.
Fortunately, there's a simple litmus test that will help you determine whether you'll like the album without having to buy it first, and it goes like this: How well do you like the songs "Forensick" from the self-titled album and "My Shadow" from "rEVOLVEr"? If your answer is, "not at all", then give this album a wide berth, because you WILL be disappointed. However, if the experimental vocal and instrumental meanderings of those tunes piqued your interest, you're likely to take a decent amount of satisfaction from "The Dead Eye". Now don't think the tried and true Thrash riffery and abrasive vocal mayhem have gone by the wayside - they haven't. But now more than ever Dolving's reflective lyrics and melancholic vocal melody take the driver's seat, and the music follows suit.
In virtually every song, and predominantly in tunes like "The Reflection", "The Prosecution", "The Medusa" and "The Cynic", there is a heavy focus on slower tempos and vocal exploration that don't adhere to the previously established all out aural Thrash assault you've come to expect from THE HAUNTED. At times it's even safe to say that what you're hearing isn't even Metal per se, but at such times Dolving (for the most part) is dol(v)ing out consolation in the form of some really catchy and melodic verses and/or choruses that convey the eclectic nuances of his fickle muse. But it IS still THE HAUNTED, and you will find some substantially crushing riffs and menacing vocals to break the monotony in each song. And then there are tunes like "The Fallout" and "The Failure" that are every bit as good as any song the band has ever done. "The Failure" in particular is a landmark tune for the band, the ultimate case in point for the growth and development of these seminal Swedes. Top that off with legitimately intelligent and thought provoking lyrics, and you're left with an offering that has enough semblances to THE HAUNTED of old that you should at least be able to understand why they've taken this particular road this time around.
It's doubtful that very many of you would go so far as to say this is the best work THE HAUNTED has ever done - I certainly won't go that far - but it is ambitious, at times enthralling, and a definite evolution for the band. And if you don't like it, at least don't make the mistake of writing this band off - if there's one self-evident truth here, it's that THE HAUNTED have become an entity with its own identity, and they're bound to bring back those wayward souls that were driven from the flock by their distaste for what "The Dead Eye" has to offer. "We will breathe in unison from an iron lung for the lost things we've become. I'll be your crown of thorns and you'll be my cross to bear." So take a step back, breathe it in and mourn the loss (if that is indeed how you perceive it), don the crown and go your own way if you must, and let THE HAUNTED carry that particular cross; but don't stray far, wayward fans - the bell will toll again, and inevitably you will beckon the call, because no matter how you like the album, "The Dead Eye" is not the funeral dirge for a dead band.
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